Introduction to Criminal Justice: Counting Crime and Choice Theory

Vocabulary flashcards covering crime categories, counting mechanisms, reporting systems, and choice theory from Chapter 1 to Chapter 9 lecture notes.

Expressive Violence

Violence that is not used to accomplish a specific goal or financial gain, but rather occurs spontaneously or emotionally during an incident.

Instrumental Violence

Violence motivated by a specific reason or goal, such as committing an armed robbery to obtain money or property.

Homicide

The general act of taking a human life, which is not inherently a crime.

Murder

The illegal taking of a human life.

Mass Murderer

An offender who kills three or more people in a single incident at one location.

Spree Killer

An offender who kills multiple people across changing locations without a cooling-off period.

Serial Killer

An offender who kills multiple people typically one at a time, characterized by an emotional buildup, a cooling-off period, and a specific victim type.

Intimate Partner Violence

The modern phrasing for domestic violence, describing violent acts committed by a spouse or partner within an intimate relationship.

Hate Crime

A crime where the victim is targeted specifically because of a demographic characteristic, such as race or gender, typically serving as a sentencing enhancement rather than a standalone charge.

Larceny

A property crime synonymous with theft, defined as illegally taking someone else's property.

Burglary

Entering a residential structure or place of business with the intent to commit a theft or another felony.

Embezzlement

A property crime in which an employee fraudulently siphons or steals money or value entrusted to them by their employer.

Public Order Crimes

Crimes targeting behaviors deemed harmful to society overall, often called victimless crimes, such as prostitution, illegal gambling, and drug abuse.

Organized Crime

A structured criminal enterprise that operates as a business dedicated to supplying illegal goods and services, such as loan sharking and illegal gambling.

White Collar Crime

Illegal acts committed by business people using a legitimate business or organization as a vehicle to perpetrate crime.

Ponzi Scheme

A fraudulent investment operation where returns are paid to existing investors using funds from new investors rather than legitimate profits.

Uniform Crime Reports (UCR)

An FBI reporting system established in 1929 that gathered monthly crime data from local law enforcement agencies, focusing on eight major index crimes.

Cleared by Arrest

A case status indicating that at least one suspect has been arrested, charged, and turned over to the court for prosecution.

Cleared by Exceptional Means

A case status where law enforcement has identified the offender and established sufficient proof, but cannot make a physical arrest due to external circumstances such as the suspect's death.

National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS)

An expanded crime data collection system created by the FBI in 1988 (which replaced the UCR in 2021) that gathers detailed data on all offenses within an incident.

National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS)

A national survey created in 1973 that interviews households and individuals aged 12 and older to gather statistics on unreported crime and reasons for non-reporting.

Choice Theory

The criminological perspective asserting that criminal acts are rational decisions made by individuals weighing the rewards against the risks.

General Deterrence

A crime prevention policy aimed at discouraging the general public from offending by publicly punishing a convicted individual as an example.

Specific Deterrence

Punishments or sanctions applied to a specific offender intended to discourage that particular individual from reoffending.

Recidivism

The rate at which previously convicted or incarcerated individuals reoffend and return to the criminal justice system.